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Molecular prevalence and associated risk factors of Theileria annulata infections in dromedary camels in Egypt

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Abstract

Theileria annulata (T. annulata) is an intracellular protozoan, transmitted by ixodid ticks of the genus Hyalomma and affects camels. There are few epidemiological data on T. annulata infection and its associated risk factors in Egyptian camels. Thus, the present study aimed to determine the prevalence of T. annulata in camels using PCR and assess the associated risk factors for infection. A total of 380 blood samples were collected from camels raising in three Egyptian governorates and examined by PCR assay targeting 30-kDa gene to detect the presence of T. annulata infection, beside statistical analysis of associated factors. The results revealed presence of T. annulata with overall prevalence of 21.1%. In addition, the univariate analysis revealed significant (P<0.05) association between prevalence of T. annulata in camels and locality, age, sex, tick infestation, and application of acaricides. Whereas the prevalence of T. annulata was higher in camels of age group >6 to 10 years (38%), females (25.7%) and in infested camels with ticks (29%) and in case of absence of acaricides application (25%). In contrast, the body condition of camels had not significant effect on prevalence of theileriosis in camels. The current study concluded that T. annulata is prevalent in Egyptian camels and that a tick control program is required to reduce the risk of infection.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the Deanship of Scientific Research, Vice Presidency for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia for the financial support of this research (Grant No: 4275).

Funding

This work was supported through the Annual Funding track by the Deanship of Scientific Research, Vice Presidency for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia (Grant No: 4275).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Medicine (Infectious Diseases), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University, Toukh, 13736, Egypt

    Abdelfattah Selim

  2. Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Hafr Al-Batin, Hafr Al-Batin, Saudi Arabia

    Ayed Alshammari

  3. Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia

    Mohamed Marzok & Mohamed Salem

  4. Department of Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafr El Sheikh University, Kafr El Sheikh, Egypt

    Mohamed Marzok

  5. Department of Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, 12613, Egypt

    Mohamed Salem

  6. Department of Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 400, Al-Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia

    Omar A. AL-Jabr

  7. Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Hattan S. Gattan

  8. Special Infectious Agents Unit, King Fahad Medical Research Center, King AbdulAziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Hattan S. Gattan

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  1. Abdelfattah Selim
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Contributions

Conceptualization, methodology, formal analysis, investigation, resources, data curation, writing-original draft preparation, A.S., O.A.A., H.S.G., M.M., M.S. and A.A.; writing-review and editing, A.S., M.M., O.A.A., H.S.G., M.S. and A.A.; project administration, M.M.; funding acquisition, A.S., M.M., O.A.A., H.S.G., M.S. and A.A. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Abdelfattah Selim or Mohamed Marzok.

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Selim, A., Alshammari, A., Marzok, M. et al. Molecular prevalence and associated risk factors of Theileria annulata infections in dromedary camels in Egypt. Trop Anim Health Prod 55, 335 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-023-03767-1

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